Starke Conde <br>Three Pines Cabernet Sauvignon <br>2018

Starke Conde
Three Pines Cabernet Sauvignon
2018

R3,900.00

R650.00 per bottle
W.O Stellenbosch

92 in stock

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SKU: 1928374650176 Categories: , , , , , , , , , , ,

With this wine we are always looking for a fine balance between Power and Elegance. When young, this wine shows the violet/cassis/black cherry notes typical of this vineyard, coupled with the fine elegant tannins for which the Jonekrshoek Valley is known.

Additional information

Weight 1.25 kg
Dimensions 7 × 7 × 26 cm

Winemakers comments

The Year 2018 was the fourth consecutive year of serious drought in the Cape Winelands. Yet, we didn’t have any drastic heat spikes during the harvest period and the vines showed little stress despite the severe dry conditions. The overall fruit quality was excellent, with very small berries producing great concentration of flavours. With this wine, we are always looking for a fine balance between Power and Elegance. When young, this wine shows the violet/cassis/black cherry notes typical of this vineyard, coupled with the fine elegant tannins for which the Jonekrshoek Valley is known.

This wine is based on our “Block 5” of Cabernet Sauvignon, the oldest block on the farm. It has very finely textured decomposed granite soil with a fairly high percentage of clay. This wine is characterised by its fine tannin structure and its unique floral notes.

Vinification and Oaking

This wine is based in a higher elevation vineyard site with a finely textured decomposed granite soil with a clay sub-soil and a gentle Southwest-facing slope. The wines made from this vineyard always seem to have a good ripeness coupled with good natural acidity and a unique floral note that sets it apart from our other blocks of cabernet. There are five different clones within the block, but we focus on just three: clone 46 which is well structured, but with less forward fruit; clone 27 which tends to have a firm tannin; and clone 163 which is quite a fruit forward.

The grapes were hand-harvested in early March. They were picked into small lug boxes and cooled overnight to 14 degrees C., then de-stemmed and carefully hand-sorted, crushed into small open fermentation vats and cold-soaked for 2-3 days until natural fermentation started. Vigorous punchdowns were given every 4 hours for the first half of fermentation, then every 6-8 hours thereafter. The wine was basket pressed and racked directly to barrel for malo-lactic fermentation and subsequent barrel maturation. A mix of coppers was used, all French oak, all 300 litre, about 50% new. The wine was bottled and without filtration after 20 months in barrel.

Previous Vintages

2015: Six-nations Trophy for Blended WhIte

2017: Platter 5-star

2018: Decanter Gold, 95 pts.

2019: 91 pts, Tim Atkin SA Report 2020

Technical Analysis

Varietal: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec

Clone: CS46C, CS163C, CS27A

Rootstock: Richter 110,99

Fruit source: Our Oude Nektar farm in Jonkershoek Valley

Yield: 4.0 tons/hectare

Alcohol: 14.0%

Total Acid: 6.0

Residual sugar: 2.0

Total extract: 30.2 g/L

Age of vines: 29 years at harvest

Trellis: 5-wire vsp

Irrigation: supplemental drip irrigation

Vineyard elevation: 270-290m

Slope: South Westerly

Total production: 8290 bottles

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